A completely unknown review: A weak piece of Bob Dylan

While Mangold and Chalamet have spoken about their desire to interpret Dylan rather than imitate him, one wonders why the mimicry hasn’t been scaled back. When he’s not singing, all Chalamet offers is a sullen, too-cool facade. He suppresses Dylan’s charm, his sense of humor and his humanity under a load of forced mannerisms. In one shot, as he prepares for his provocative Newport set, Dylan looks into a mirror and strums his guitar with hostile strums. We’ve seen this in every biopic: a scene that conveys a thrilling intent behind a historical moment too alchemical to contain. For most of the film, Chalamet lacks any real presence and always seems like he’s stumbling over a suit that’s five times too big.

Barbaro’s Joan Baez, on the other hand, is reserved and graceful. During a scene at Greenwich Village’s famous Gaslight Café, Dylan sees Baez playing “House of the Rising Sun” (which he later recorded for his debut album). Barbaro’s performance is rousing, her falsetto is fine and dazzling. She also gets a slightly better performance from Chalamet, as the two egg each other on throughout their whirlwind romance and creative exchanges. (Dylan’s other early love interest, Suze Rotolo – played by Elle Fanning under the name Sylvie Russo – falls somewhat flat on screen.)

After their first affair, Baez clearly reminds Dylan that she not only sings traditional music, but also writes originals. Dylan responds with by far the best line in the film, which seems to have come from a completely different script: “‘Sunsets and seagulls.'” “The smell of buttercups…” Your songs are like an oil painting in the dentist’s office.” In a movie full of platitudes and strained allusions to his own themes, it’s an efficient slight that feels more authentic for a character fueled by wit and the written word, and is a welcome change from Chalamet’s constant mumbling. When Mangold met with Bob Dylan, he made a small correction to the script, changing a few lines here and there. I wonder if that was one of them.